Our Research
Astrophysics and solar physics
Research Areas
We are interested in the sun and other star systems. Solar activity and its effects on the Earth's magnetic field, for example, are at the center of our work. But other stars are also active and influence planets in their vicinity.
Projects/cooperation/interesting facts
Observation stations for research and teaching
We operate the Kanzelhöhe Observatory for solar and environmental research on the Gerlitzen (Carinthia). The Kanzelhöhe Observatory is the only observatory of its kind in Austria. Its tasks are the systematic observation of the sun and the earth's atmosphere, as well as the development of measuring and observation instruments.
The Lustbühel Graz Observatory (OLG) is located on the outskirts of Graz in the Waltendorf district. It is primarily used for the education of students studying physics at the University of Graz and for research purposes.
Project Work
A large proportion of the scientific staff work on research projects that are funded by third parties, including national funding institutions such as the Austrian Science Fund (FWF ) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). The projects typically run for 3-4 years and deal with specific open questions in the field of astrophysical and solar-physical basic research (examples: CASPER, STIX, keyword: Modeling solar corona, Stellar CMEs, Magnetic Helicity)
We are also involved in projects funded by international funding bodies such as the European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Together with other international partners, we conduct joint research and in some cases also develop structures that facilitate interdisciplinary work and access to data and expertise (e.g. SolarNet, SOLER, DYNASUN). ESA, in particular, is a long-standing partner and sponsor of numerous projects on the topic of "space weather", where basic research results are also translated into applied research and our own observation data from the Kanzelhöhe Observatory (KSO) is made available for application (ESA Space Safety).